Asian specialty store iFresh opening first Texas supermarket

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iFresh, an Asian American grocery supermarket chain and online grocer, is opening its first Texas location in Houston in the summer of 2018, the company said in a statement. The new market is under construction and will be located in what is known locally as “new Chinatown.”

The Houston location will be the 10th retail supermarket for iFresh. The company offers fresh and culturally unique produce, seafood and other CPGs of interest to Asian-American consumers that are not typically found in mainstream supermarkets.

“We look forward to opening our first location in the Houston area,” said Long Deng, chairman and CEO of iFresh. “Houston’s diverse community and large, growing Asian population makes the new store a compelling growth opportunity for iFresh.”

Why Texas? Asian immigrants, primarily from India and China, are moving to the Lone Star State — the population more than doubled between 2005 and 2013 to 85,542, the Miami Hearld found. Asians also are more likely to move to Texas first, according to the state's demographer Lloyd Potter.

The Asian/Chinese grocery chain likely picked Houston for its fast-growing Asian population and its established Vietnamese community. A recent census report found major ethnic groups in greater Houston experienced population increases from 2014 to 2015, but the Asian population grew the fastest at 5.7%.

The new iFresh will undoubtedly draw Asian customers who live in the area, but also shoppers of different ethnicities. Consumers, and millennials in particular, are increasingly interested in ethnic flavors and new spices, and would likely visit the new store. In addition, a recent poll found 65% of other shoppers said they'd be inclined to cook more multicultural foods if their stores had a better variety. The solution might just be to go to a new store like iFresh.

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